The Way Things Go
by HaHaHappiness
Summary: After burning down a village, Koenma is intrigued by two fugitive demons and employs them to help find a powerful wolf demon whose been on a stealing spree. Unfortunately, one of them has a bit of an attitude problem. HieixOC
1. Part 1 : The Way Things Got Started

The Way Things Go

Part I : The Way Things Got Started

The name's Yumiko. People I love call me Yumi, sometimes. I'm just your average 15 year old female, just your average four foot nine, katar wielding, blue eyed, black haired, eared and tailed, half fire, half wolf demon travelling down the road of life with my thirteen year old four foot tall, white haired, blue eyed, master archer, water demon of a sister, Aiko.

Okay, so maybe I'm not average. Maybe my story isn't average, either. But hey, how average can your story be when your mother was an elemental demon and your father a wolf demon? Fun fact of the day, apparently the wolf gene is less dominant than the elemental gene, so weirdly enough besides my father, I'm the only wolf demon in my family- this includes my older, twin brothers, Haru and Raidon.

That's beside the point really. This story isn't about my twin brothers- I mean, they're in it, but it's not about them. This story is about the way I met the love of my life, the sun in my sky, the centre of my universe, my everything, my Hiei.

If you've ever met Hiei, aka Mr. Emotionless Jackass, you'd probably be surprised to hear anyone talk about him like that- let's face it, he's not exactly the lovey dovey type or even the type to allow himself to be called anything other than his name, but then again, neither was I. I'm shocked to even use such vulgar terminology, shocked to have let such an emotion as love ebb its way into my heart; that's just the way things go, I guess.

Curious yet?

Well then, take a step into my shoes and see the story from my eyes.

*****

The heat of the sun pounded down on your back as you ran at full speed, covered in sweat, down a rugged dirt path surrounded by wilderness. It had been some time since you stopped, and your energy was beginning to fade. Reflexes weakened, your foot caught on a rogue rock, tripping you, causing you falling on your face.

The backpack you had been carrying sagged on its side.

"Dammit!" you shouted at the top of your lungs, rolling onto your back.

You laid there for a moment, your long, black hair billowing out underneath you, while staring up at the clear blue sky.

"Yumi, please don't say things like that," Aiko shrieked as she ran to your side, panting, slinging her backpack on the ground. "It's unladylike."

She had been lagging behind as usual, probably gazing around at the scenery and having a jolly good walk. She wasn't nearly as motivated as you were when it came to escaping, though considering who it was you were running from, you thought she would at least try to pick up the pace.

"Dumbass," you thought, rolling your eyes, heaving a heavy sigh, as you sat up. "Sorry," you apologised, taking her soft, little hands as she pulled you to your feet.

"Please, Yumiko, let's stop for a while. You're very tired and it probably be in your best interest to regain your energy," she begged assisting you in brushing the dirt off your front.

"Whatever," you muttered scanning the horizon, agreeing for the sake of sparing confrontation. Faintly, your eyes detected the blurred shape of a small town down the road a ways. "Hey, Ai, look. There's a town up ahead." You pointed in the distance, covering your eyes from the sun.

"Do you think they'll let us stay for the night?" Aiko asked hopefully, her blue eyes narrowing as she glanced up ahead. She wasn't exactly the rugged, woodsy type. For god's sake, she was wearing a dress.

"It's possibly. Though we can't let them know we're demons, now can we? Hmmm, let me see..." Getting on your knees, you bent over to rummage in your backpack, as Aiko did the same. "Aha!" you exclaimed pulling out a hat and sun dress that trailed the ground, your tail wagging with excitement.

Dresses had once been your worst enemy, but now, they were your best friend, considering they covered the black wolf tail that trailed behind you. You pulled the dress on over your jean shorts and t-shirt and pulled the hat over your head and ears, fixing your long, messy hair into a more refined ponytail.

"How do I look?" you asked when your diabolical work was complete.

"Very human. No-one will ever know that we're demons," Aiko said smiling, pushing back her blunt bangs, combing through her shoulder length hair with her fingers. You both had decided that there was something so innocent about dresses, something that made people trust you more.

You both continued on your way until you reached the town. Instinctively, the first place you walked into was the pub.

"Why does it always have to be the pubs we go into?" Aiko hissed, as you entered.

Trough the corner of your mouth you whispered "Because I like drinking."

"You don't even have an I.D! And your only fifteen! They'd never give you any alcohol." She scowled disapprovingly.

"Your point?"

There were a lot of old men sitting around talking and drinking their whiskey, but when you and Aiko walked in they all turned their heads and stared.  
"Excuse me, but we're nomads who happened to come across this town. We have no money, but we desperately need a place to stay for the night. Could some one please provide us with food and board?" You asked looking around hopefully.

They all kind of stared at you like you're a monster.

You looked around the room, smiling like a dumb idiot. The smile slowly slid off of your face and your fought back a scowl.

A girl, who was sitting in the back corner of the room, with dark brown hair and an angular face spoke up. "Of course you can stay here!"

She flashed you a very cheesy smile, a smile that seemed to make all the townspeople's eyes widened with fear for a moment, and then join in with her on the overly-cheesy happiness. It was all you could do to keep from gagging.

"My name is Mai," she said with a creepy laugh.

"Umm...hey," you mumbled taking an automatic step backwards. Aiko elbowed you in the ribs, reminding you that you were being rude. "I'm Kiki and this is my companion Lili."

Aiko bowed slightly. "Pleased to meet you."

"And you as well! Bring them something to eat- and put it on my tab." She began hum happily.

You were escorted to a circular table by Mai where an old man, with an equally creepy smile as Mai, brought out trays of food.

"Eat up!" Mai exuberated.

Aiko glanced questioningly at you, waiting for your approval. You nodded, taking a small bite of whatever meat was on the plate. Creepy as they were, you weren't one reject free food; for what it was, it was all right. A little bit too salty for your liking though.

Someone shoved a mug into your hand, and you immediately gulped down half of it to wash away the taste. Aiko did the same, but now, you noticed, she was...panting? It looked like she couldn't breathe. That's when it hit you.

Shit," you whispered, as your vision blackened. "I think we've been...poisoned."

And, with that, you passed out.

When you woke up, you found that you were in what appeared to be a garage against a wall. There was a large truck sitting in front of you. You could feel that your hands and feet were tied up. It was hard to tell much else, because your senses were groggy from whatever drug they had given you.

Finally, when you had recovered enough to be cohesive, you looked to each side of you and on the right you saw Aiko, also awake and tied up.

"Ai, what happened?"

'I'm not sure, but I'm guessing we were drugged."

"What the hell are we doing here?"

"I'll answer that!" Mai cried triumphantly, walking in through a door that was on the left of you.

There was no longer any hint of cheesy joy in her voice and the creepy smile was gone, replaced with a fierce and confident smirk.

"You see, though we are peace loving folk, our town has been prey to several demon attacks. So, I'm going to make sure that you two NEVER COME BACK!" she laughed madly.

"That's it. She's insane. Completely and utterly mad to the brink of being locked away forever," you thought. Aloud, you said, "What are you talking about? Demons don't exist, silly!" You gave her a patronising look.

"I can sense demonic auras, you idiot."

"Oh...well, there goes my brilliant plan," you replied flatly.

"In what way will you be putting us out of our misery?" Aiko asked. Considering the question, Aiko was being pretty level headed. But then again, she usually was- she had to be travelling with you, a hormonal, crotchety fifteen year old whose mouth tended to get the both of you into trouble.

Mai continued laughing maniacally, opening up the door of the car and starting it. It began to hum softly, and she closed the door.

"Well, here's where I say good-bye. Within a few hours, you'll have inhaled enough carbon monoxide to kill you, and it'll all be over. Sure, it lacks craft and thought, but it'll get the job done." She walked towards the door and opened it. "Oh, and by the way, those ropes are fire proof," she added as she exited, closing the door behind her, smirking.

"WHAT! Fire proof! Hmmm...must have had previous fire demons," you mumbled, looking defeated. "Well, no matter. Ai, do you think you could turn around so that your back is to me? Good girl!" you praised her as she wriggled to face the opposite way.

You lowered your face down so that it was level with the ropes and began to chew hers off. They were thick and anyone else might have found themselves mindlessly gnawing at them, but for a wolf demon, the task was fairly easy; the shredded ropes fell to the floor in a matter of seconds.

"Thank you, wolf genetics," you exclaimed proudly, as Aiko moved to untie your ropes.

In about five minutes, you both were untied and rummaging around the garage looking for your weapons and your backpacks.

You finally found them in the back of the truck. "I bet that bitch was gonna sell all of our stuff," you grumbled.

After gathering your things and throwing the sun dress and hat back into your backpack, the two of you snuck out of the garage and into what appeared to be a kitchen, and from there out of a side door into the town.

Grabbing Aiko's arm, you asked solemnly, "You know what we have to do right?"

"Yes," she whispered as tears began to fall down her cheeks. She removed her bow and an arrow from the quiver, both of which were on her back, as you unsheathed the twin-bladed katars hanging from opposing hips.

"Then let's get to it," you snarled.

"If we must."

And you did the most responsible thing a fugitive can do - you destroyed your tracks. You began to wreak havoc on the town, slaughtering all the people, burning down the houses, and causing mayhem. In a matter of minutes, the whole town was on fire, slowly burning to the ground.

"How'd you escape?!" Mai screeched in shock, upon spotting you kill a man who had attacked you with a shovel. "Never-mind that," she spat. "I'll just finish you off the old fashion way."

She unsheathed a katana and charged at you. You smirked at her insolence, and shot a jet of fire at her which hit her dead on. While she was distracted by it, you darted behind her. Since she had pissed you off, you gave her special treatment and crossing your katars into an "x" shape, pulling your arms forcefully in a down ward motion, decapitated her. Her body fell to the ground, and her head rolled away from it, covered in blood, her eyes completely devoid of life

You spotted Aiko skilfully shooting down a couple of middle aged men who had been coming at her.

When she had defeated them, you ran to her, screaming, "Ai, we have to finish this!"

"No! It's bad enough we've destroyed their town! I don't wanna cause anymore pain for these people!"

"Aiko, we have to! If we don't get rid of this town, Jing is going to find us!"

That made her attitude quickly change. "Fine!" she shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

The two of you clasped hands holding them above your head, and facing each other, chanting an ancient incantation passed down by your mother's clan for generations. As your voices rose and fell, creating perfect harmony, the grounds began to tremble and the sky opened up. Molten lava spilled forth from the earth, as huge pointed chunks of ice began to rain from the sky. A purple circle of energy surrounded the two of you, protecting you from the chaos you were creating. As you chanted the final word, the fire and the ice had mixed together, creating an explosion. The two of you let go of each other's hands as the purple circle vanished.

You looked around you at what was once a town, now nothing more than a wasteland of dust, ash, and streams of water. As expected, there were no survivors.

The sound of Aiko's sobs brought you back to reality.

"Ai, don't cry. It had to be done," you murmured, pulling her into an embrace.

"I know," she said, wiping her tears away. "I just hate destroying innocent people."

"Well, what we did is nicer than what Haru and Raidon would have done, though it is a pity Haru isn't here to get rid of all this debri."

""That's true," she agreed with a nod. "Raidon would have probably been a lot more violent." Her ice blue eyes gazed off into space as she fell silent, probably remembering the barbaric tendencies of your older brother.

"Come, let's get away from here and get some rest," you coaxed in the most gentle voice you could mange as you took her hand and led her away.

The two of you made camp in the forest, far away enough from the road to not be bothered by wandering travellers.

"Yumiko, can't you build a fire?" Aiko begged, laying on the ground next to you, using her backpack for a pillow.

"No," you mumble drowsily, "someone might see it."

"Please?"

"Just huddle next to me. I'm a fire demon, for Christ's sake."

You felt her roll next to you as you heard her breathe a happy sigh. "That's much better. Thank you, dear sister." She rested her head next to yours and the two of you succumbed to sleep.

****

"Are they dead?" you heard a deep, male voice inquire.

The voice pulled you away from sleep, but you kept your eyes closed, hoping they'd go away if they thought you were dead.

"No, you idiot! They're asleep!"

"But, they look dead."

Annoying. Whoever these people were, they were fucking annoying.

Your eyes snapped open, unable to control yourself any longer, and your eyes redden as your ears pinned back, glaring in the direction of your intruders. "Who the hell are you?" you shouted, groggily.

"Whoa!" a big, ugly, red haired human yelped, jumping back. "They're alive!"

You sat up, rubbing your eyes, clearly pissed at being woken up. "Of course we're alive, you idiot."

Folding your arms over your chest you observed your assailants.

There was four guys all looking down at you and Aiko, who was still sleeping peacefully.

There was the stupid, ugly ginger, a black haired human boy who had put in enough hair gel to sink the titanic, a very feminine red-haired guy who you sensed wasn't all he appeared to be, and a really short demon with red eyes and black spiky hair.

"We're Team Urameshi," the human with too much hair gel said, proudly.

"I wouldn't brag too much about being leashed to Koenma. I've heard about you," you replied sardonically, snickering. " So, is there a particular reason you interrupted our slumber or do you have some kind of death wish?"

"Koenma wanted us to find those who destroyed the town not too far from here, and, judging by your scent, we've deduced its the two of you," the red headed she-man said, a small smile playing on his lips. "There is no point in lying."

"Well, fine then. You found us. Get lost," you scowled rolling over to get more sleep.

"Hey, don't go back to sleep!" the human with too much hair gel whined, getting on his knees and poking your shoulder repeatedly. "We aren't finished with you yet. Koenma wants to see you."

You raised your head up, pinning your ears back, while looking scathingly at him. "Well that's too bad, isn't it? Because I most certainly don't want to see that bas-"

"Yumiko, what's going on?- Aiko interrupted, sitting up abruptly and raising her arms above her head in a stretch. "Your shouting woke me up."

"Excellent, now the other one's up. Let's go!" the hair gel guy said, smirking.

His cocky attitude was starting to grate on yours nerves.

"Hell no!" you spat, snarling at him.

"Yumiko!" Aiko elbowed you in the side.

"Sorry," you mumbled.

Looking up at the boys she added, "Really, what's the meaning of all of this?"

"I'll tell you what, these ugly wankers wanna take us to see Koenma, but I told them, I was like, 'hell gnaw, we ain't going no where,'" you explained, with huge elaborate hand gestures while she listened intently, one hand stroking her chin. "And then they were all like 'well that's too effing bad' and I was like-"

"Enough of this nonsense," the spikey-haired midget man interrupted, sharply. "Either you can come peacefully, or we can take you by force."

"Firstly, interrupting people is rude. Secondly, you'd have to drag me there."

"Fine" he snapped.

Before you realised what he was doing, he was at your side, picking you up and slinging you over his shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down you little punk!" you screamed pounding your fists on his back. "Put me down this instant, or else!"

"Hn." He just ignored you, rolling his eyes at your antics.

"Yumiko, you were asking for that," Aiko chided, trying to hide her smile. To team Urameshi, she added "I will come peacefully."

She picked up both of your backpacks and weapons and walked behind the midget guy, making faces at you all the way back to Spirit World.

End of Part 1


	2. Part 2 : The Way Things Started Sucking

The Way Things Go

Part 2 : The Way Things Started Sucking

You somehow found yourself outside of a door reading, "The Office of Koenma", in the Sprit World after taking a portal from the forest. You were still slung over Midget Man's shoulder, drumming your fingers on his back, impatiently.

Honestly, if someone had told you the previous morning that you'd end up in such a predicament, you'd probably have punched them in the face and then peeled their retinas off with your nails. Of all the places to end up.

Your record wasn't exactly clean, either.

The door opened and an obnoxious voice shrieked, "Come in! It's about time you got back! I've been waiting all morning!"

Midget Man threw you onto one of the two sofas, and Aiko sat next to you. The two red heads claimed the other sofa, leaving the hair gellers to stand.

"About time," you spat shooting glares around the room at anyone who would dare make eye contact with you.

There was a desk in the centre of the room and standing on the chair behind the desk was a black haired toddler with a blue pacifier in his mouth, adorned in a really stupid looking hat. You couldn't help but feel bad that his mother had dressed him so poorly. Next to the toddler was a nervous looking ogre.

"Gross, I hope they don't expect me to baby sit," you thought, scowling at the little monster.

Babies were the foulest evil in the universe in your book.

However, the toddler placed his palms against the top of the desk and spoke. "Hello. I'm Koenma, ruler of the Spirit World," he declared, sounding very dignified.

"So, you're the Koenma I've heard so much about," you said looking him up and down, a blank expression on your face, before bursting into an uncontrollable fit of giggles. "God, is that a pacifier?! No wonder your 'Team Urameshi' is so screwed up!"

"Yumiko!" Aiko hissed elbowing you in the ribs, her eyes wide with embarrassment. With the grace of a blind elephant, she stood hurriedly, nearly falling over and bowed. "Lord Koenma, sir, it is an honour to meet you," she grovelled, fixating a glare on you out of the corner of her eye.

"Yes, Aiko, go ahead and kiss Koenma's ass. It's very flattering," you muttered so only she could hear, glaring back at her.

"Thank you." A smug smirk had found its way on his face, obviously pleased at being revered. "I have called you to my office today, because it has come to my attention that two of you recently destroyed an entire village, and with it a certain young lady by the name of Mai."

Shrugging, you grumbled in the most disrespectful voice you could manage,"Yeah...so?"

You'd be damned if Koenma thought both of you were kiss asses.

"Mai was my backup spirit detective, you imbecile!" The piercing shriek caused you to have to cover your ears, while the toddler shook his little fists at you.

"Umm..sorry?" you offered, lowering your hands, sounding insincere.

Everything was starting to settle in your brain, and that moment of realisation kicked in, that moment where you finally understood what was happening and that there was absolutely nothing you could do to save yourself from the gruesome fate that lie ahead.

"You will be punished. I was just going to have you shipped to the Punishment Department, but the damage you left on that town has intrigued me." Stroking his chin he continued. "You have two options : either you can work off your punishment by helping find and capture the demon, Jing Satomba, with Team Urameshi," he said pointing at Team Urameshi, making you cringe. "Or you can stay on house lock down in a dojo not far from here, where you will sort out, fax and scan my papers." A wicked grin curled on his lips. He knew he had you cornered.

"Objection!" you screamed, jumping up.

He slammed his hands on his desk. "Denied!"

"Yumiko! Stop being rude." Aiko turned to Koenma. "We'll join Team Urameshi," she replied. "We will help you find Jing." You were the only person aware of the fact that Aiko was shaking.

"What?! No freakin' way in hell!"

"Well, it's better than house lock down isn't it?" she spurred venomously.

You scowled, crossing your arms, "Whatever."  
"Good, very good indeed," mused Koenma. "You'll be living in a house on Nigenkai now with Team Urameshi. My assistant, Botan, will brief you on the mission. Oh," he added as an afterthought, his narrowed eyes resting on yours, "if you try anything funny, I can and will extend your sentence."

"But-!"

However, before you could further protest, you were all ushered by the blue ogre to a portal, taking you back to Nigenkai.

You arrived at Team Urameshi's house, the headquarters for the group of baboons you would be spending God knows how long with. You looked at the four guys, wishing for a meteor to fall out of the sky and hit you.

"So you're Yumiko?" the girly red head inquired, politely.

"Yep," you mumbled, obviously not pleased about being enslaved to a baby.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kurama. That's Yusuke," he said pointing grease monkey with too much hair gel, "that's Kuwabara" he said pointing to the ugly ginger, "and Hiei is the one who carried you to Koenma's office."

"What a crew. I'm surrounded by incompetent idiots," you thought.

The short guy, Hiei, snapped his head in your direction, glaring at you like you were the Ebola virus incarnate.

"Especially _that_ one," you thought, giving him an equally dirty look.

"I'm going to go mad listening to their ignorant thoughts," he muttered, slinking off to the closest window.

Raising an eyebrow as you watched him leave, you said to yourself, "It seems we have a telepath on our hands."

"I'm Aiko," your sister chimed in, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, enough getting acquainted. Where do we sleep?" you asked, impatiently.

He showed Aiko to her room, and you to yours. You're room was white with a small wooden bed with had red sheets and wooden table and chair, and on the far side of the room was a balcony.

"Can I redecorate?" you asked Kurama, sickened by the thought of how much your room resembled a mental institute.

He smiled, obviously happy to not be snapped at. "Yes, but not now. Yusuke wants us to train together, so we can each get a feel for each other's powers."

Journeying out side with your new "team-mates," they led you to a small arena, obviously used for training.

After Kurama was designated the referee, you sat down on the grass. "I ain't going first."

Aiko glowered at you. "Well, then, I guess I will. Who am I fighting?" she asked eagerly.

"Me," Yusuke smirked. "I just hope your tougher than you look."

His comment caused her to blush and scowl, now determined to beat him, as they both stepped into the ring

Kurama raised his hand. "All right, let the fight begin."

Instantly, they charged each other, throwing punches at each other until Yusuke finally landed one in her stomach. Upon impact, she shot a powerful jet of water in his face.

Both stumbled backwards.

Most of the fight went that way, until Yusuke finally got her with his spirit gun, which let to an instant forfeit on her part, and the fight ended.

"I'm impressed, Aiko. You're pretty good." Yusuke panted, seeing the forlorn look on her face. "In a few years you'll be a force to be reckoned with."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

"Yumiko, you go against Kuwabara," Kurama said, smiling at you.

"What!" Kuwabara whined. "I can't fight a girl!"

"That's okay Kuwabara, I'd feel bad fighting someone so fragile," you mumbled as he walked out of the ring.

"What's that s'pose to mean?!" he snapped turning around.

"Very well." Kurama said. "You can go against Hiei."

"Good, I can get this little peewee back," you snarled. "Bring it on, Nancy."

"Hn."

He drew his katana, and you drew your katars.

"Ready? Begin!" Kurama said, swiping his hand downward.

Hiei charged at you. You blocked a swing from his katana and jumped over his head, grazing his shoulder with one of you blade. Upon landing, he kicked your feet out from underneath you.

_Bam. _You fell backwards onto your butt, dropping a katar while attempting to no avail to shoot fire at his face the whole way down. The guy was ridiculously fast.

Suddenly, the little creep was right in front of you, katana at your neck snickering. "That was too easy."

"I'll teach you to be cocky," you snapped, the sore loser in you pissed off by the thought of this shrimp beating you, kicked him right in the balls. He fell to the ground, cussing and threatening you in a squeaky voice.

Yusuke and Kuwabara were almost in tears from laughter. Aiko too, but she was trying to be lady like by acting like she didn't find it funny.

"Yumiko wins!" Kurama said trying to suppress laughter at the look on Hiei's face.

"You, my friend, just got owned," you said as you stood up, sticking out your tongue as Hiei staggered to his feet, sending you a death glare.

After that, Kurama and Kuwabara fought so you and Aiko could see their techniques.

They impressed you more than you would admit.

****

The following day, after an evening spent in your room, pouting, you groggily stumbled downstairs with Aiko in a hunt for sustenance, only to find the living room occupied by a girl with a blue ponytail sitting on the couch that was in front of the T.V. Next to her was a short haired brunette and another girl with sea-foam green hair.

"Who the hell are you? God, don't tell me there are more of you," you spat, rubbing your left eye on the sleeve of your giant t-shirt.

"Hello!" proclaimed the girl with the high pony tail, jumping up, bowing exuberantly. "I'm Botan, better known as the Grim Reaper. I'm here on business, well, not _that _kind of business. Oh and this is Keiko" she said pointing to the brown haired girl "and Yukina" she pointed to the other blue haired girl. "Who might you be? Don't tell me Kuwabara got a girl friend!"

"Gross! No! Not in a thousand years even if he was the last creature left in the universe. I'm Yumiko and this is my sister, Aiko." you groaned.

"Oh! You must be the two knew members of Team Urameshi!"

"Unfortunately" you said grimly.

"Yumiko!" Aiko says elbowing you. With a bow, she added to Botan, "I'm very pleased to meet you.

With a grin, Botan replied, "Nice to meet you too! You'll be a seeing a lot of me in the future, seeing as I tend to brief the team on their missions and tag along for moral support."

"Yeah yeah yeah. Whatever. I haven't unpacked still, so I'm gonna go do that." you mumbled going to the stairs.

"Oooh, I'll help!" Botan said coming after you.

You shuddered visibly. "I can manage."

"Oh no, I insist!"

"Whatever," you muttered through gritted teeth, as you began to scale the stairs.

When you got to your room, you unzipped your backpack and began to pull out the few clothes that you owned.

"Oh my. Are those the only clothes you own?" Botan asked as she helped you hang them in your closet.

"Pretty much."

"But...but...how do you LIVE?!"

"I manage" you said pulling your toiletries out of your bag. "I don't need much, cause we're always on the run."

"From what?"

You rolled your eyes. "Does this Botan chick ALWAYS ask so many questions?" you thought. Aloud you said "From well...." you sat on the bed. You were already done unpacking. "Well, since it's not much of a secret, I guess I can tell you. We're running from Jing Satomba."

"That horrible demon?" she asked, plunking down next to you. "Well, how ironic that Koenma employed you to help catch him. What did you do to make him want to hunt you?"

"I kind of stole something from him," you smirked reaching in your bag. You pulled out a golden bracelet with a full moon in the centre whose craters were comprised of rubies. You thought it was hella ugly.

"Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?" Botan squealed.

"Shut up," you snapped. "You're going to give me a migraine. Yes, it's the Bloodlust. It boosts a wolf demon's physical strength. I stole it to weaken that bastard," you said putting it back in your backpack. "That's why we're always on the run. He wants it bad, and his minions have been giving us hell for taking it."

"Well," Botan said standing up, beaming at you. "You don't have to run anymore, so I'm going to take you and your sister shopping."

"That's really okay," you retorted, getting up. "I have more than enough to live off of."

But, Botan, being the way she is, went on down stairs, with you trailing behind her, announced to the girls on the couch (and Aiko, who was sitting in between them, chatting it up like they were long time friends) that all of you were going shopping.

*****

After an excruciating trip to the mall, the five of you returned to the house at around seven, laden with bags of new clothing. Never in all your life had you been around so many females for such a long period of time, and your brain was filled with the sound of high pitched chatter and giggling.

Trudging up to your room, you put your clothes away and sat on the bed unable to believe that you had survived two days of being in such a mad house.

"Hey, Yumiko!" You looked in your doorway to see Aiko standing there, a large smile plastered on her pretty face, her blue eyes twinkling with happiness.

"Hey, Ai, what's up?"

"We're gonna watch a movie! Wanna join us?"

"Not really."

"Great! Come on!" she said grabbing your hand and pulling you downstairs.

They had picked out some cheesy horror movie, during which you fell asleep , sprawled out on the couch.

You awoke the next morning screaming from the most horrendous nightmare imaginable.

Kuwabara had been wearing a playboy bunny outfit and he had a whip and you and him were about to...to...

The image in your head made you visibly gag.

Glancing around the room, bewildered, you found Hiei sitting in a chair nearby, eating a poptart, looking at you like you were an idiot.

The sound of footsteps made you glance up as Yusuke walked past you to go into the kitchen. "What's with all the screaming?" he asked, yawning visibly.

"Kuwabara...Playboy bunnies...kinky whip!" you gasped, clutching your heart, flattening your ears against your head.

Yusuke paused, looked at you funny and burst out laughing. "Whatever, Yumi."

He proceeded to the kitchen.

"Yumi?" you whispered, looking after him. You hadn't been called that in years. You tried to not seem pleased by the nickname.

Hiei was snickering. "So, how were your dreams last night? Were they...enjoyable?"

At first you didn't understand. Then it clicked. You turned your head slowly to face him. "Yoooou." you said through gritted teeth. "You little bastard. How dare you telepathically soil my pure dreams with Kuwbara's butt cheeks! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" you shouted, jumping up. He was one step ahead of you.

You chased him up the stairs and down the hall. He ducked inside his room, slamming the door in your face.

"HIEI!!!!!!" you screamed pounding on the door.

"What's going on?" Kurama asked coming up behind you.

You turned around, panting and pointing at the door. "Hiei...Kuwabara...playboy bunnies...kinky whip!" you spat. You stood looking at the confused expression on his face for a moment before you slumped down on the floor, taken by fits of giggles. This was the first time you had laughed your ass off since you had been here.

Aiko, just emerging from her room, walked over to his side. "What's up with Yumiko?"

Kurama was smiling. "Oh, nothing. I think she's just decided that she likes it here."

~End Part II~


	3. Part 3 : The Way Things Went Downhill

The Way Things Go

Part III : The Way Things Went Downhill

Hearing Kurama say this, you jumped up, your laughing fit abruptly over. "I _do not_ like it here."

He just smiled at you, a perceptive gleam flickering in his eyes. "Well, whether you like it or not, you probably ought to be getting dressed."

Aiko turned to look at him. She was already dressed, wearing a skirt and a tank top you had found in the children's section at the mall. "Do we have a mission?"

"I can't say for sure," he said, his brow furrowing. "But we have to always be prepared in case we get a lead. That's why Koenma is keeping us all under one roof. Normally we all go our separate ways until we're summoned back for a new mission. He's been causing us quite a bit of trouble with his recent string of robberies, but the trail often turns cold. All we know is that he's after a collection of five artefacts that enhance the power of wolf demons."

You and Aiko exchanged a worried glance. Kurama caught sight of this, raising an eyebrow. "So, you've met him."

You smiled nervously. "More like stole something from him. A certain bracelet, to be exact...."

Kurama's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."

"What can I say? I'm a wolf demon and it pisses me off to think that he's cheating his way to power with some ugly ass grandma jewellery."

"Well, I can't say that I'm surprised. I used to be quite the thief, myself. You had better tell Koenma about it before the next mission."

You nearly burst out laughing at the thought of such an absurd idea. Why should you waste your breath telling Lord Diaper Butt about something you'd spent two years of your life protecting just to have him lock it in a vault? It would just rust in there. You maintained a straight face as you replied, "I'll be sure to do that." You abruptly turned on your heel to leave, saying, "I'm going to go take a shower. I'll see you kids later." Kurama was far too perceptive, and you knew that he saw right through your bluff; you had left to avoid any further discussions of the Bloodlust. You weren't going to turn it into Koenma, and that was final.

You got took a shower and took your time getting dressed, wearing a pair of black shorts that went to the middle of your thigh, a light grey t-shirt that had a band logo on it, a pair of rainbow knee high socks with converse. You braided your hair into two, long pigtails and you brushed all of the knots out of your wolfie tail. It had been a while since you had actually put effort into getting dressed.

As you were leaving to go to the living room you found Hiei. You paused, crossing your arms and slouching, mustering up the most hateful look you possessed. He was just leaning against the wall like an idiot. "But a very cute idiot," you thought. "Wait, I don't mean that! Dammit!" you mentally slapped yourself, remembering that he could hear you. You composed yourself. "Hiei," you said curtly.

"Botan wants us in the living room," he said, standing up fully, ignoring your greeting. "We have a mission. She says it's urgent."

"So why didn't you get me earlier? It's not like I've been doing anything important in there!" You motioned to your room.

He shrugged. "I guess because I'm a 'very cute idiot.'"

He smirked as you lunged at him. You chased him all the way down the stairs and into the living room where everyone else had already congregated. You skidded to a halt, bumping into Yusuke, who nearly fell over.

"Geez, Yumi. I know I'm hot, but come on, we just met."

You slapped the back of his head and opened your mouth to spit out a comeback but Botan had reached her ropes end.

"Children!" she shouted, causing you all to fall silent. "This serious. We finally have a lead, and if you mess this up, Koenma won't be none too happy." Everyone quieted instantly. "Thank you. Now, about ten minutes ago, it was reported that a large "wolf-man" was seen walking through some woods about forty minutes away from here. We think it might be the hide out of Jing Satomba and we want you to scope the woods to see if you can find anything."

"That's gonna to take forever!" Kuwabara whined.

"Yes, it probably will," she agreed, " at least if you stay in one group. That's why we're splitting you up."

You started to inch your way towards Aiko, the only person you actually trusted on the entire team, formulating a plan of escape in your head. By the time they realised you were gone, you would be miles away. Sure, there would be some kind of a bounty on your head, but, hell, if that was the price of freedom, you were willing to pay.

"So, who's going with who?" Kurama inquired, smiling slightly as he watched your antics.

"Koenma had specific instructions : Yusuke and Kuwabara, Aiko and Kurama, and Yumiko and Hiei."

You froze, looking up at her, frowning dramatically. "But...but...why? Can't I go with Aiko?"

"Yes, can't she go with Aiko?" Hiei spat. The fiend had somehow ended up sitting by the window. He was looking over at the gathering, a toxic glare plastered on his small face.

She grinned at the two of you. "Absolutely not. Koenma thinks she might try to escape if the two sisters are placed in a group together." Her amusement was sickening.

"That little bastard," you muttered, crossing your arms and slouching.

To every one else Boton said, "All right, I'm going to open a portal to the woods, and you're to fan out. Each group has a communicating mirror. Boys, you know what to do if you find anything. Good luck."

****

You and Hiei were given a northern area of the forest to scope out. The scenery was pleasant enough, and the scent of pine and dirt pleased you. For a long time, you walked in silence, concentrating on searching for any kind of demonic aura. After about an hour you came to a small cave at the base of a large rock formation.

"Do you think anything's in there?" you asked, looking over to your irritating team mate.

He was standing a few feet away from you, doing his best to look at anything but you. "Hn."

You sighed. "That doesn't answer my question, jackass."

A glare in your direction was all the response he gave you.

You ignored him and boldly entered the cave, not really giving a shit about what might be in there. He followed you. The scent of mildew, bats, and water filled your nose. You could hear dripping water and insects slithering. In other words, it was your typical spooky cave. The light slowly began to fade and when it finally left completely, driven away by the black of darkness, you panicked.

"Hiei! Where the hell are you?!"

"Don't piss yourself. I'm right behind you."

A few steps further, pain shot up from your tail, to your back, to the tips of your fingers and toes, and to the top of your head. "Ouch! Get off of my tail!"

You lit a small fire in your hand, illuminating the cave, revealing him jump back and away from the furry mass that was trailing behind you. The way the light hit his eyes made a wave of fear wash over you causing your ears to fall flatten against your head. You had never realised just how creepy he was. Hiei's eyes widened with annoyance and he spit on the fire, extinguishing it.

You wiped your hand on your shorts. "Gross! What was that for?"

"If there's someone else in here, then they'll be tipped off of our location by the light of your fire, you idiot."

You felt the hilt of his katana being pushed into your back. "Keep going."

The soft thud of your feet noted him of your obedience.

You stopped and he bumped into you.

"Dammit!" he said upon impact. "What the hell are you doing?"

"I...I don't want to go first anymore. There might be holes and stuff...I can only barely see."

You felt him brush against you as he moved forward and you stuck your hands out to find him. Your fingers made contact with the soft fabric of his cloak, billowing behind him, and you clutched at what you assumed to be his arm.

He froze, and you felt him tense up and pull away. You only tightened your grip, digging your nails into his arm.

"Must you do that?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact. There might be holes!"

"God, I hope so," he muttered. "I guess you aren't as tough as you talk."

"Shut up. Just bear with me until we get out of here."

You heard him sigh as you both began to walk fore ward. "Hn. Whatever."

You didn't speak to each other until light flooded into the cave; it was nearly dusk, but you squinted as the rays kissed your faces and your eyes readjusted. The scent of lilac filled your nose. There was a small pond outside of the cave, surrounded by a vast clearing of flowers and cherry trees. It was the most beautiful place you had ever seen.

"Oh my God," you whispered, taking a step forward.

Hiei cleared his throat. "You can let go of my arm now."

"But why would I do that? You're such a basket of sunshine, I think I'll spend the rest of my life with you." you said in a lovey-dovey voice, glowering at him.

"How about I cut off your arm, and then we'll see who's a basket full of sunshine."

You quickly let go of his arm, thinking "He'd love that, to just...just cut my arm off, stuff it and put it on the mantel in the living room so everyone could laugh about it years from now."

He slowly turned his head to face you, giving you a look like you were an idiot. "God, you're weird."

You stood there with your eyes closed, in silence for a long time, taking in your surroundings. The aura of a familiar presence could be felt.

Your eyes snapped open and rested on Hiei, who had his brow furrowed.

"Well, looks like we hit the jackpot," he muttered, a smirk on his face.

Then, cocking your ears, you heard it - about twenty feet away- amidst the cherry trees, the sound of a very upset servant begging for forgiveness from a most bellicose master.

"Please, Master Satomba! I got the Wind Fang for you!"

A cold, deep voice laughed apathetically. "Perhaps, but you failed me all the same, Kiyoshi. Your orders were to figure out the location of the Bloodlust, and you couldn't even find out if it was still in the hands of those little brats."

"No please! Have mer-ah!"

_Shink. Thud._

Hiei took off in the direction of the confrontation and you followed. You came to a stop in a cluster of cherry trees. A gruesome sight met your eyes. The body of a headless blue demon lay on the ground in a pool of blood at the feet of a ridiculously tall silver, haired wolf demon clothed in a black kimono. His large grey ears were pinned back and his tail was bristled in contempt, the same contempt that reflected in his dark, brown eyes. He looked up at the two of you, smiling.

"So nice to see you again, dearest Yumiko. I see you've brought a friend." He slung a giant, bloody ninja star over his back. "Have you come to meet the same tragic end as my idiot servant?"

You bared your fangs instinctively. "How about we skip that and I smash your face in."

"Tsk, tsk. Such poor etiquette, as always. Well, since you're here, you can give me back my Bloodlust." he said politely holding out his hand.

"Like hell I will!"

"Fine. Have it your way."

Without warning, he threw his ninja star at Hiei, who dodged it easily. It doubled around and grazed your shoulder as you darted out of the way. You and Hiei both charged at him, drawing your weapons. He caught his ninja star in just enough time to block both of your attacks. You shot fire in his face, but he dodged it and swung his ninja star at you, missing. Hiei was darting around him, trying to land a hit, but Jing was just as fast at blocking as Hiei was at attacking.

Hiei slid to a stop next to you. You were standing in front of a large, decaying tree trunk. He opened his mouth to say something but Jing cut him off.

"Well, this is getting us nowhere. Perhaps I should stop toying with you," Jing smirked. He raised his hand in the air and a mass of yellow spirit energy began to accumulate in his hand.

Hiei tensed up, raising his katana. "Try not to screw up."

Jing pulled the spirit energy next to his mouth, and blew on it very gently. It poured out of his hand like water, undulating as it hit the ground, breaking into two large, jagged pieces. They raised up, poised and waiting for a command from their master. He snapped his fingers. Obediently, they shot in both your and Hiei's direction.

You began to move, but Hiei raised an arm up. "Wait. They'll just follow you if they don't make impact with something."

Right before they hit you, you both jumped out of the way, but you felt yours skim your left calf. They hit the tree trunk behind you, exploding.

You felt pain shoot up your leg and you fell, glancing down to find blood spewing from a wound. You tried to get up, but a foot knocked you back down. The taste of dirt filled your mouth.

Jing pulled you up by your braids as you shrieked with pain. He leaned down to look into your face. "Well, I'm sorry to say, but" you felt a tip of cold metal rest on your throat, "it all ends here."

End Part III


End file.
